Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) cost in San Antonio, TX

Prices at 4 hospitals in San Antonio, TX, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $4,118 — 229% above the US median ($1,250), roughly 13.2× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Methodist Hospital San Antonio, TX $4,118 $1,440 ★ 4/5 134 min 15.8%
Methodist Hospital Stone Oak San Antonio, TX $4,118 $1,440 ★ 4/5 172 min 15.4%

CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated June 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.

Price comparison (median)

Chargemaster (list price)
$4,118
Cash / self-pay
$4,118
Insurer-negotiated
$1,083
Medicare pays
$311
$1,154$4,118
Median cash $4,118  ·  Medicare $311  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $4,118 — about 13.2× the Medicare rate ($311). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($622).

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Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.

All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices in Texas → · All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices (national) · All hospitals in San Antonio